1&1 vs. HostGator (2016)

As HostGator and 1&1 duke it out from across the pond, they reveal all the wonderful world of web hosting has to offer. These are two of the largest and most trusted companies in the hosting market, and with good reason. They both tout 24/7 customer support, servers you can scale with, and easy-to-use control panels to help you manage your site(s). Whether you just need a domain and a basic site builder tool or you’re on the hunt for a performance-packed VPS, 1&1 and HostGator probably have a package that’s perfect for your next web project.

Overall Hosting Comparison

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★4.9/5.0

Since the early 2000s, 1&1 has grown to become a trusted host for millions of website-owning customers. A reputable leader in web hosting, they offer shared, dedicated, and virtual servers, as well as... read more +

Since the early 2000s, 1&1 has grown to become a trusted host for millions of website-owning customers. A reputable leader in web hosting, they offer shared, dedicated, and virtual servers, as well as resources for website building and eCommerce.

The latest news, however, surrounds the release of the new 1&1 Cloud Server, which we got to discuss with 1&1's Head of Product Owner Server, Javier Salcedo.

1&1 recently launched their dynamic 1&1 Cloud Server, to add to their breadth of offerings. Javier debriefed us on the need for this product, and 1&1's ambitions in designing it.

"We want to deliver all the capabilities you would expect, then make it very easy to use," Javier said. "Trying to combine the two is a real challenge, but that's where we want to be." With custom configurations, 1&1 allows cloud users to select settings for CPU, RAM, and disk independently of one another, and customers only pay for what they can control.

Combining forces with Solidfire, 1&1 opted to only offer SSD storage for their cloud solution. Their SSD hosting for cloud features 11x compression ratios and a price-for-performance rate that's left customers very satisfied, according to Javier. "The results of an external benchmark executed by Cloud Spectator with an external company have been extremely good," he said, "and there have been wonderful reactions from customers regarding no limits on storage."

All 1&1 hosting plans come with a free domain name registration and all the setup options you need to launch a site quickly and easily. In addition to their shared, dedicated, and VPS hosting, they have free site building tools available, both for mobile and desktop.

1&1 users can get up to unlimited storage, domains, and email accounts, and 1&1 offers a broad variety of packages to meet your hosting needs within your financial means. Their 1&1 App Center features over 140 Click-and-Build Apps to help you customize the perfect web experience for you.

1&1 streamlines your site launch by offering easy installations of popular web applications. At checkout, you can include preinstalled app templates for WordPress, Drupal, or Magento, and they even offer WordPress-specific hosting packages.

In addition to the free site building tools for desktop and mobile, 1&1 offers plans specific to website building: 1&1 MyWebsite. These packages feature drag-and-drop site building, with professional-looking templates and mobile optimization available.

When it comes to marketing your site — gaining visibility in search results and exposure to your target audience — 1&1 pulls out all the stops.

To start your site's marketing, 1&1 offers $50-worth of credits towards paid advertising with Bing and Yahoo! Then, their SEO Assistant tool helps you boost search engine rankings and their SiteAnalytics tool is there to help you track your site's success.

Building an online store with 1&1's eCommerce website builder is just as easy as building a website or blog with 1&1. Four plans are available for online retailers to build websites equipped to present up to thousands of products. Stores can be available on desktop, mobile, and tablet.

Customers should take advantage of 1&1's cross-selling opportunities, options to translate stores into multiple languages, and optimization tools. With 1&1, you can use major online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to broaden your customer base, or make your store available on Facebook. Then, using 1&1's SEO Dashboard, you can improve your online store's positioning in search results, ensuring that buyers find your online shop easily.

1&1 offers proactive protection against DDoS threats, with SiteLock malware scanning available for added security as well. Their new CDN ensures the latest protection features for your site, and you can upgrade to 1&1 CDN Plus, with HTTPS support and mobile browsing optimization.

With the most advanced technology supporting their seven datacenters, 1&1 prides itself on its leading-edge, geo-redundant servers. They offer 24/7 customer support and a Webspace Recovery feature, so help is always available, should catastrophe strike.

It's no secret that 1&1 is a leading name in web hosting, but after speaking with Javier and getting to know the new 1&1 Cloud Server, we can see how they rose to fame.

1&1 has built their business putting the needs and expectations of customers first. Whether it's a click-and-build online store or a powerful cloud solution with tons of customizable configuration and payment options, 1&1 anticipates customer desires and strives to meet and exceed expectations.

HostGator has been around for over a decade and is well-respected for their large number of servers and their consistent reliability. Known mostly as a shared hosting provider, HostGator still supplies... read more +

HostGator has been around for over a decade and is well-respected for their large number of servers and their consistent reliability. Known mostly as a shared hosting provider, HostGator still supplies decent dedicated and VPS options if you need your site to scale.

HostGator costs a little more than some of the other budget-minded shared hosts, but that contributes to their reliability and well-known support. They offer decent features included in their basic offerings, unlimited disk space, a nice control panel, and free website templates. While the feature list is short compared to other hosts, you do get the flexibility to add them as you see fit.

Aimed primarily at the semi-technical user, HostGator's flexibility is their strong suit. Dedicated, VPS, and Windows hosting is available if that fits your needs. For those than need it, root access, SSH, and support for Ruby, Perl, Python, and other languages is available on all plans.

HostGator has nearly limitless options and control available for their server, however they require a little more knowledge than beginner-focused web hosts. If you need to host multiple sites, their wide array of offerings make them a great choice.

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Cheap Rating

★★★★★4.7/5.0

If the budget factor is on your mind when searching for a web host, rest easy. 1&1 has a range of packages, including reduced rates for the first few months (or year) and "Starter" plans, for all of... read more +

If the budget factor is on your mind when searching for a web host, rest easy. 1&1 has a range of packages, including reduced rates for the first few months (or year) and "Starter" plans, for all of their web hosting and website building services.

All 1&1 plans come with a free domain name registration, or existing site transfer, with permissions to use (essentially) as much webspace and database storage as you need. Packages include unlimited domains and email accounts as well.

Starting a 1&1 website from scratch is simple. With the 1&1 Website Builder and 1&1 Mobile Website Builder, you can drag and drop elements of your site, customizing it to your brand or personal preference.

1&1 has over 140 Click-and-Build Apps available within their App Center. Their web application experts have curated and recommended the top apps out there, and their support team is available 24/7 to help you get started and continue building your personalized web presence.

They offer WordPress-specific plans, which include all the benefits of their shared hosting services. Their experts offer guided installations and recommended plugins and themes for WordPress. You even get 20% off Premium WordPress Themes from TemplateMonster.

In just a few clicks with their Setup Wizard, you can have an online store up and running. They offer guided installations, with popular payment methods, like PayPal, automatically integrated into your eMarketplace.

With four packages for eCommerce options: Online Store Starter, Online Store Basic, Online Store Plus, and Online Store Unlimited, online retailers of all sizes can find a plan that meets their needs and their price expectations. If you choose to upgrade, you can have access to SEO stats, online marketing tools, product download functionality, cross-selling opportunities, and more.

For cost-conscious customers, whether you're looking for a website builder, WordPress host, or a place to launch your online store, you can't go wrong with one of 1&1's budget-friendly plans. They include all of the web hosting essentials and make it simple to upgrade at any time, with expert support available to help at every step along the way.

HostGator is a great compromise between performance and price. They offer unlimited emails, MySQL databases, disk space, and bandwidth, plus 1-click installs of popular open-source projects, in addition to... read more +

HostGator is a great compromise between performance and price. They offer unlimited emails, MySQL databases, disk space, and bandwidth, plus 1-click installs of popular open-source projects, in addition to a 99.9% uptime guarantee on their shared hosting plans.

HostGator’s price-to-performance perks also apply to their vast array of other hosting options, such as VPS, dedicated servers, and even reseller hosting. Their many hosting options make them a great choice for sites on the rise, in need of options for the future.

For those just getting started and looking for a good, cheap host, HostGator bundles some nice features that hosting newbies can appreciate. A very nice site builder from Weebly is included. Their control panels are also very easy to use and a free domain is a nice touch.

If you are looking for a solid web host, with a ton of flexibility, plenty of power, and great price points, you should consider making HostGator your web host of choice.

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★4.9/5.0

If you need blazing-fast speed, optimum uptime, top-notch flexibility, and full control over the fate of your website, and you prefer a dedicated server to host it on, 1&1 has you covered.
... read more +

If you need blazing-fast speed, optimum uptime, top-notch flexibility, and full control over the fate of your website, and you prefer a dedicated server to host it on, 1&1 has you covered.

They offer an assortment of entry-level, performance-focused, and business-class dedicated server options. For those looking for dedicated resources within a more modest budget, you can check out the discounted benefits housed in the 1&1 Server Outlet.

1&1 currently houses 70,000 servers within their seven datacenters, and they feature the most modern and safest hardware available in the US. Each datacenter features server rooms equipped to protect, power, and temperature-control up to 40,000 servers.

Their redundant technology ensures high uptime and supremely reliable server networks. External connection speeds of 300 gigabits per second help ensure that you have swift access to your applications at all times.

1&1 gives you your choice of operating system, with the web developer's dream of full root access control for Linux or administrator access for Windows. Alternatively, you can opt for 1&1's managed dedicated hosting services, with Parallels® Plesk control panel included for essential site management and user control.

Users can monitor their dedicated server services via the browser, but 1&1 also offers mobile monitoring, so you can check in from anywhere, featuring downloadable apps for Apple iPhone and Android.

For a modest premium, 1&1 offers several additional benefits to their dedicated server customers. For example, opt to include professional backups, securing your data with up to 1,000 gigabytes of FTP storage for individual backups.

For online retailers, you can get up to 256-bit encryption with a GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Dedicated SSL Certificate (a $249/year value — yours for $49/year). By adding this SSL certificate to your 1&1 package — easily configurable within the 1&1 Control Panel — you can conduct transactions online with confidence.

1&1 offers a wealth of dedicated server options to meet any budget or performance needs. Customers benefit from unlimited traffic, easy system management, and top-notch security — basically everything you can hope to get from a dedicated server provider.

Founded in 2002, HostGator is one of the largest online web hosts with a long lineage of dedicated hosting. With updated hardware, including Intel Xeon Quad core processors and lots of RAM, HostGator is a... read more +

Founded in 2002, HostGator is one of the largest online web hosts with a long lineage of dedicated hosting. With updated hardware, including Intel Xeon Quad core processors and lots of RAM, HostGator is a great balance between performance, quality, and price.

Being one of the few hosts to offer managed support and a Windows-based OS, those needing trouble-free ASP.net support should take a close look at HostGator.

HostGator boasts a top-of-the-line, fully-redundant network and datacenter, which dedicated hosting users will take full advantage of and love. They also offer a ton of IP addresses with each plan.

HostGator has a fantastic support network and 24/7 customer service in the form of phone, chat, or email. Combining that support with plenty of power, they are a very respectable choice for a dedicated host.

VPS Hosting Comparison

VPS Rating

★★★★★4.9/5.0

For an all-star player in the flexibility game, look no further than the Cloud, where many find an excellent alternative to VPS options. Javier debriefed us on 1&1's newest hosting solution: the... read more +

For an all-star player in the flexibility game, look no further than the Cloud, where many find an excellent alternative to VPS options. Javier debriefed us on 1&1's newest hosting solution: the dynamic 1&1 Cloud Server, which was built to serve as a hybrid of simple cloud providers' solutions and major cloud computing platforms.

Javier told us about a key milestone in 1&1's hosting history. In 2013, 1&1 bought Arsys, the leading hosting company in Spain, with an impressive cloud technology. At the time, 1&1 had garnered a lot of financial backing and clout with customers, but had no standing in the Cloud whatsoever.

"The partnership was the ideal combination of a super powerful company with this nice cloud technology," Javier told us. "We spent about a year and a half adapting, improving, and preparing for this." By "this," he was, of course, referring to the launch of the dynamic and flexible 1&1 Cloud Server.

"The simple cloud providers — they're very easy to use, very low-cost, but they're not so capable; they don't have as many features," Javier explained. "Then on the other side, you have the mega cloud systems." A prime example here would be Amazon. "You can do everything you want, but the complexity is increasingly high, and it's no longer something that you can start using in a few minutes or a few hours."

Just like that, Javier set the tone for the promise 1&1 aims to fulfill for customers. "We want to deliver all the capabilities that you would expect," he said, "then make it very easy to use and very affordable." We imagined implementing such a balance would be challenging, but it's a challenge that 1&1 accepts with pride and determination.

Javier set the stage for us, painting a picture of the arena that 1&1 aims to dominate with the 1&1 Cloud Server. Deploying in 55 seconds or less, this server line offers incredible power and performance, and we were excited to test it out.

A common hardship faced by developers in the Cloud is the matter of hardware. Scaling up is easy, but scaling down is an entirely different story. 1&1 tackles this issue with not only custom configurations, but independent settings for package features, such as CPU, RAM, and storage options.

"Predictability is key for us," Javier said. For example, data transfer, IOPS, and media requests are difficult to control or predict. "We only charge you for what you can control," he explained.

The independent settings of the cloud configuration do not, however, extend to CPU types, processor types, and more specific elements of the package. Javier explained that this would complicate the hosting solution, and therefore would not meet 1&1's agenda for creating a flexible, affordable, and easy-to-use cloud service. He also assured us that the lion's share of customer's don't mind not getting to select processor types and intricate details of their configuration.

"Providers typically offer bundles for CPU memory, RAM, et cetera," Javier said, "but that's not really flexible, because you're stuck with it." Not only does 1&1 offer the ability to choose your CPU, RAM, and disk settings independently of one another, but you can make alterations to your configurations at any time. As your needs change and resource demands fluctuate, configuration adjustments can be made in as little as one click.

The 1&1 Cloud Server features an intuitive control panel. Users can activate and manage their servers, while controlling and overseeing servers, storage, and connectivity solutions, including firewalls, load balancers, and site data backups.

With a continual commitment to the customer, the company opted to offer exclusively-SSD hosting to 1&1 Cloud Server customers, for added speed, performance, and value.

Javier told us that 1&1 originally used traditional storage spenders, so they were faced with the expected challenges. When setting out to provide this flexible and fast cloud solution, they decided to offer SSD storage by default.

Backed by Solidfire, 1&1 offers SSDs through a Storage Area Network (SAN), ensuring extreme reliability and customer satisfaction. "The results of an external benchmark with an external company have been surprisingly good," Javier said.

1&1's cloud hosting options allow for payment by the minute, which offers total transparency in monitoring both the technical security and financial security of your website. They also offer four pre-configured packages for those seeking fixed resources, rather than the 1&1 Cloud Server FLEX package offerings.

Based on our conversation with Javier, the new 1&1 Cloud Server is a wonderful virtual resource for SMBs. They've struck the balance between price and performance, combining flexibility with usability. Javier said, "it's conceptually simple, compared to some of the other players out there."

Simple and affordable, yet flexible and powerful, 1&1's dynamic 1&1 Cloud Server is definitely a cloud solution to consider. The makers of this platform have taken the typical challenges faced by most cloud users and aimed to simplify the user experience and improve upon existing options.

HostGator has built a great reputation in the industry for their shared hosting options. Their VPS solutions, with optional cPanel support, provide a nice and easy introduction to those that are new to VPS... read more +

HostGator has built a great reputation in the industry for their shared hosting options. Their VPS solutions, with optional cPanel support, provide a nice and easy introduction to those that are new to VPS hosting and know their needs require more than a typical shared host.

Starting at low price points, HostGator makes transitioning to a VPS plan reasonable and doable. Each plan comes with two IPs and a bunch of storage, however their CPU and RAM offerings could be better for their respective price tags.

HostGator’s strongest point comes from their state of the art datacenter. Featuring a fully-redundant network with no single point of failure and multiple bandwidth providers, uptime should almost never be a concern.

Founded in 2002, HostGator is one of the largest online web hosts. They have more than 12,000 servers under management and award-winning support. If you are looking for a very small VPS server or value the strength of a great network, give HostGator a shot.

WordPress Hosting Comparison

WordPress Rating

★★★★★4.8/5.0

If you know you're strictly interested in hosting a WordPress website, then it makes sense that you be on the lookout for hosts that offer WordPress-specific hosting services. 1&1 offers all of the... read more +

If you know you're strictly interested in hosting a WordPress website, then it makes sense that you be on the lookout for hosts that offer WordPress-specific hosting services. 1&1 offers all of the essentials you would expect from a shared web host, with packages especially catering to WordPress users.

The 1&1 WP Wizard gets you started with just a few clicks, offering countless options to customize and grow your WordPress site.

1&1 offers a broad selection of free and affordable themes for WordPress. Plus, you can get 20% off Premium Themes from TemplateMonster. 1&1's WordPress experts have assembled the best plugins and themes for WordPress, and their support team is always available to help guide you through setup and any troubleshooting matters.

Security patches and WordPress updates are taken care of for you, while always operating in Safe Mode. Their support team is available, via phone and email, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With options to implement malware scanning with SiteLock, your website is offered constant monitoring for protection against hackers and external threats.1&1 also conducts daily backups to ensure they're taking a proactive approach to protecting your site. Their Webspace Recovery feature maintains six-days-worth of restore points, so your site remains safe, should the worst happen.

Starting and sustaining a WordPress blog with 1&1 couldn't be easier. From a free domain and simple startup to their easy-to-use Click-and-Build Platform, 1&1 offers everything you need to launch a WordPress website with ease.

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

If you're in need of a one-stop shop for building and hosting a website, you should be pleased to hear that 1&1 offers their own custom website building tools for desktop and mobile. In addition to a... read more +

If you're in need of a one-stop shop for building and hosting a website, you should be pleased to hear that 1&1 offers their own custom website building tools for desktop and mobile. In addition to a free domain and email address, and unlimited webspace and database storage, 1&1's MyWebsite option includes all the essentials for starting a site from scratch.

With 1&1's MyWebsite packages, you can quickly and easily create a custom website, without any coding or programming knowledge. Best of all, 1&1 MyWebsite packages each come with a free 30-day trial period, so you can be certain that this easy-to-use solution is the right one for you.

Their drag-and-drop site editor features tons of high-quality, customizable templates. Your site will automatically be optimized for smartphones and tablets, and 1&1 offers hundreds of web apps to integrate with your site, such as Google Maps, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

Whether you're looking to sell online or just market your blog, 1&1 has you covered. Their more popular MyWebsite packages come equipped with features to help you build and grow your brand and/or online marketplace.

1&1 offers $50-worth of PPC credits to be used with Bing and Yahoo!, and their SEO Assistant to boost positioning in search engine rankings. They'll also help you build a professional-looking Facebook page and eNewsletter to inspire a following and build customer loyalty. Then, you can track your site's success with 1&1 SiteAnalytics.

MyWebsite Premium users can build their own online store equipped to offer up to 1,000 products, with numerous payment and delivery options. 1&1 also gives the opportunity to cross-sell with other online retail portals, such as Amazon and eBay, and they include a free SSL certificate as well.

1&1 not only offers over 140 Click-and-Build Apps within their App Center, but they feature packages exclusive to customers shopping for website builders. They make it easy to get online and start blogging or start selling quickly, with no coding skill required. If you're seeking easy entry into the website building world, 1&1 MyWebsite has you covered.

1&1 vs. HostGator - Our Conclusion

We’ll leave you with this: If you’re a soon-to-be first-time site owner, you’re in great company with either of these two web companies. That being said, together, 1&1 and HostGator operate tens of thousands of servers — with many of their customers having steadily grown up with them, so to speak, for years and years. Needless to say, these are the kind of companies you stick with for the long haul.

Other 1&1 Comparisons

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Other HostGator Comparisons

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Comparing Wix and HostGator — two very respected and high-value hosting providers — is like seeking medical attention: Do you need a specialist or a general practitioner? For many patients, as with prospective hosting... see full comparison»

Server power meets service prowess — Media Temple and HostGator are two top dogs in the hosting industry. While owning opposite ends of the pricing spectrum, the two share a common bond over the number of servers they operate... see full comparison»

Solid entry-level hosts, JustHost and HostGator are good options focused on helping rookie website owners get online for the first time. Both hosting providers offer feature-laden shared plans that balance cost and performance. We... see full comparison»

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